Buffer and coupling for railway and road vehicles.



J. I'. HARKBR.

BUFFER AND CDUPLING FOR RAILWAY AND ROAD VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 1913.

1,105,511 Pat-enum July 28, 1914.

vIIllz NORRIS PETERS C()4 PHO'IU-LII'HU. WASHINGTUN. D l

JAMES FOWLER I-IARKER, OF JOHANNESBURG, TRANSVAAL, SOUTH AFRICA.

BUFFER AND COUPLING FOR RAILWAY AND ROAD VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Tatentcd July 2B, 1914.-.

Application ledlMarch 13, 1913. Serial No. 754,004.

To all 'whom t may concern Be it known that l, JAMES FowLna Hankini, a subject ot the King oi' Great Britain, and resident ot' Johannesburg, Province o't' l`ra11sviu'il, Union ot' South Africa, have invented certain new and use't'ul Improvements in Butters and Couplings for Railway and Road Vehicles, ot which the :following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to an automatic railway bu't'i'er-coupling.

Although primarily intended it'or ilse with i'ailway vehicles it can also be usedas a coupling 't'or road vehicles.

'lhe object ot the invention is to construct a simple and etiicient automatic butter-coupling 'the employment ot' which will prevent the accidents to shunters which now trequently occur with existing couplings. It completely obviates the necessity ttor the shunter to place his hands in a position which will expose him to danger during the coupling operation.

The invention will be fully described with the aid ot' the accompanying i'lrawings whercin- Figure i shows .my improved butereou pling in part sectional elevation. Fig. 2 a plan of the same, and Fig. 3 is a t'ront elevation.

ln constructing my improved automatic butier-coupling the butter or head l is it'ash ioned with a cavity 2 whichmas shown in Figs. l and 2--is open at the top. A recess 3 is 'formed in the rear end ot' the butter l eoi'nniunicating with the cavity 2 at the back thereot. rlhe recess 3 beveled or inclined at the top as indicated at flin Fig. t and it is rounded at the top as indicated at 5 in Fig. 2 to permit oft' 'the requisite move,- ment within the cavity 2 and recess 3 of the coupling' pin or member t3. The coupling pin t3 which as shown is ot more or less hook shape is constructed at the rear end with a square hole 7.

In the sides o't' the butter il. at the rear end there are provided two cylindrical holes 8, t) which are placed opposite each other and eon'mninicate with the recess 3, the one 8 being somewhat larger in diameter than the other 9. In the holes S, 9 there is ar ranged a bolt or pin 10 which is adapted to rotate therein. The loolt 'l0 is constructed with a square portion ll which tits the square hole 7 in the rear end ot the coupling pin 6. This insures the movement of the coupling pin t3 with the bolt when the latter is revolved in the holes 8, 9.

l2. l?) are bosses Atermed on the outside cit' the butl'er l around the outer ends of the holes ti, 5). The bolt l() is at one end fashioned with a head or enlargement llA to which is attached the operating handle l5 which may be tixcd or pivotcd thereto.

tti is a uut which is screwed on to the other and threaded extremity olf the bolt ,10, and '1T is a split piu or the like for retaining the nut in position.

'lhe coupling pin is instructed with a projection lb which is adapted to be engaged by a catch or trigger 19. The catch or trigger 1t) is pivotcd between two lugs 20, 2l which ai'e t'ormcd on the insider of the butter [lange lu above the cavity 2; 22 being a split pin or the like .which serves as the pivot pin for the catch or trigger lt). 'lhe catch oi' trigger l!) is constructed with two projecting parts or arms 23. Qt which project downwardly into the cavity '.lo the ends ot'l the arms 2.', 2t there are attached the pins or pieces ilo, 2o. The pins rr pieces 25. 2V ai'c preferably attached to the ends ot the arms 255, itl. by means ot' split pins or the like 27, 2S. The pins 25, 2o project through holes 2S), t) in the front ot' the butter 1 and operate automatically upon contact ot' the butt'ers ot two vehicles to cause the trigger llt) to disengage the coupling' pin (l and allow the latter to engage the couplingl link ill in the manner shown. The catch or trigger lf) :is preferably so constructed that the pins Q5, Q6 project through the holes 29. il() as shown in Figs'. l and :2 when said catch or trigger is in its normal position as well as when it is supporting the coupling pin (i. The said catch or trigger is also so constructeil that when the pins 25. 2G are pushed inward until their outer ends are in the holes 2S). 2l() the back otthe catch at 32 in Fig. 1 comes into contact with the flange l. o't the butter between the lugs 20, Q1 and serves as a stop lor said catch. The pins 25, 26 are loosely attached ('t'or example, hy the split pins QT, 8) to the arms Q3, 24 so as to prevent their sticking in the holes 29, 30 in the event o't' one o'l. said pins only being struck by the butter ot the other vehicle which is to be eouiiled.

33 is an opening provided lin the 'front of the buffer which opening communicates with the favity 2 and through which opening the link 31 enters said cavity in order to be engaged by the coupling pin 6. This opening 33 as shown in Fig. 8 is preferably rounded at the tops of the sides as indicated at 34, 35 and it is preferably beveled outwardly at the bottom as indicated at 3G and to a slightly lesser extent at the sides and top. The bottom of the cavity 2 is preferably constructed to form a fiat surface 2 for the link 31 to rest upon when in position. The opening 33 is made of a suiicient size to allow for the maximum variation in the height of the buffers on dierent vehicles and the pins 25, 26 are so positioned that the contact of buffers fixed at different levels will always insure disengagement of the catch or trigger 19 and the engagement of the coupling pin 6 with the link 31. By providing the two pins 25, 26 at opposite sides of the cavity 2 it will be evident thatshould the buffers come together with their faces at an angle to each other one or the other of the pins 25, 26 will be engaged and moved inward which will result in the disengagement of the coupling pin 6 and the coupling together of the vehicles.

87 is a hole which is formed through the bottom of the buifer 1 into which hole the hooked end of the coupling pin 6 falls when.

it engages the link 31. The hole 37 at the front is preferably hollowed as shown so that the front end of the pin 6 may pass freely from the hole 37, when turned from coupled to uncoupled position. However the pin 10 engages the upper part of the hole 37 as indicated at 38 and this relieves the1 bolt 10 of a portion of the stress due to pu l.

The operation of the buffer coupling is as follows: The coupling pin 6 of t-he one buffer being in the position in which it is indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1 is retained in that position by the catch or trigger' 19, the

pins 25, 26 then projecting beyond the face of the buifer as shown in the drawing. The link 31 is in position in the buffer of the other vehicle that is to say it is in the position in which the link is shown in the drawing. As the vehicles approach the outer end of the link 31 enters the cavity 2 in the opposite buifer through the opening 83 and when the buffers come into contact either or both of the pins 25, 26 are pushed inward which lifts the catch or trigger 19 and allows the coupling pin 6 to fall into engagement with the link. To uncouple the vehicles all that is necessary is to rotate the bolt or pin 10 by means of the handle 15 until the coupling pin 6 is engaged by the catch or trigger 19. The link 31 remaining engaged by the coupling pin in the other vehicle is drawn out of the buer when the vehicles are separated.

What I claim as my invention and desire to protectn by Letters Patent is An automatic railway buifercoupling comprising a coupling member pivotally supported within said buffer, a gravity catch pivoted to the buffer and adapted to engage the coupling member to retain it in its uncoupled position, means connected with said catch comprising a pair of arms which eX- tend outwardly in opposite directions, and a pair of pins which project through holes in the front of the buifer and on opposite sides thereof so that the catch is automatically released by the contact therewith of the opposite buffer.

In testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES FOVLER HARKER.

Witnesses:

CHAs. OVERDALE, A. THOMPSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

